The perfection of Sandspit is double edged. Because of its machine-like mechanics, the wave basically allows most competent tube riders to lock in for the 200-plus-yard duration (once, of course, they’ve managed to wrangle a set wave from the masses). This means that lineup hierarchy can be tricky, often pushing the takeoff zone deep into the wave’s only imperfect section—a vicious explosion of backwash that refracts off the jetty. Here, potential takers eye the success-to-failure ratio, calculating the odds of navigating short-term obstacles for long-term benefit. Photo: Nick Liotta

Dane Kealoha, Pipeline, as photographed by Jeff Divine. “During the late 1970s and into the early 80s,” says Divine, “the magazine photographers pretty much camped out at Backdoor waiting for the revolving door of great surfers to come through to shoot. Dane Kealoha would make the drive out from Honolulu and arrive about 10-ish. His quiet, confident walk to the narrow paddle-out channel was soon followed by a dominance of the small takeoff area on the Backdoor peak. In this shot, during a 1979 Pipe Masters heat, he seems to be communicating to a higher power.” Photo: Jeff Divine

Santa Barbara's Donnie Hedden dumps speed through the cove at Rincon with a Ryan Lovelace shape underfoot. "That day was the first real swell of the winter for us," says photographer Nick Liotta. Photo: Liotta

Nearly 15 years ago, we ran an article that followed Chris Malloy, photographer Seth Stafford, and North Shore lifeguards Todd Sells and Jeff Johnson on a trip deep into unexplored territory in the South Pacific. The area was so remote, in fact, that instead of relying on normal modes of transport, the crew planned to strip their gear back and swim a leg of their journey along a stretch of uninhabited coastline at the base of towering cliffs. Towing little more than a few cans of tuna and rice on inflatable mats, they camped and bodysurfed for days, scavenging food and sneaking in through keyholes when a welcoming cove presented itself. “Jeff had gathered enough information to surmise that the prevailing currents should be with us for the first two-thirds of the swim,” read the accompanying words. “We guessed that the last third of the journey would be, at best, slack current. At worst, the final leg would stop us dead in our tracks or sweep us out to sea.” This image of Johnson, somewhere in the thick of it, is an outtake from Stafford. The entire piece, “The Body Will Suffice,” can be found in TSJ volume 10.3. Photo: Seth Stafford

Photographer Bruce Jamieson turns his back on the less desirable elements at Blacks—the crowds and sneak sets from the Canyon—and aims his lens at the straight dope that so many surfers in the lineup fiend for: a clean South Peak runner through crystalline water. Photo: Jamieson

At most Southern California pointbreaks, it’s either equipment or timing that provide the necessary crowd separation to tilt a session from frustrating to fun. With a late fall mini-swell on tap, a hefty slab of foam underfoot, and afterglow to light the way, Adam Instone tips the scales to his advantage at Swamis. Photo: Bryan Timm

One of the draws of the Outer Banks (along with its hollow, beachbreak thump) is its ability to spread the wealth. With miles of sandbars, committed dune climbers and sand drivers can usually find an empty wedge, even during a much-hyped swell. Here photographer Seth Stafford trains his lens on the kind of view most surfers in the zone are hunting for. Photo: Stafford

Donald Takayama (left) and David Nuuhiwa (right) left Hawaii for California in 1957 and 1961 respectively. They were both just kids at the time. No one could have predicted then the overwhelming influence the pair would cast, but with the benefit of hindsight it’s undeniable that many surfing lives would be poorer had they never set foot on the beach. Pacific Beach, San Diego, 1966. Photo: Leo Hetzel

“Barry Kanaiaupuni would lay his whole board into a turn and then go straight up into the lip,” says TSJ photo editor Jeff Divine of BK’s performances at Sunset. “He was doing that a good eight years before the Australians arrived and laid claim to this ‘new’ style of surfing the North Shore.” Photo: Jeff Divine

New Zealand has no shortage of back-beaches and exposed reefs to feed on throughout the year, but on burly winter swells the dependability and visual appeal of Raglan pulls in a loyal international crowd. "Originally I was drawn to Raglan by its rocky left pointbreaks and ridiculously consistent surf," says NZ-based photographer Rambo Estrada. "But the town itself has such a good vibe that, these days, I’m just as happy to go hangout when there’re no waves."

Sometimes, particularly in human-loaded lineups (like those found in Australia and California), the trick is to squint and find the open spaces of water between the masses. Photographer Mark Tipple, however, took that approach one step further. This image, part of a series of long exposures, deceptively shows Bondi Beach erased of a human presence altogether. “My goal was to blur out Australia’s most famous beach from the water—without people.” he says. “Crowds do my head in here.” Photo: Mark Tipple

The Santa Cruz harbor is one of the best sand-fed setups in California. Unfortunately, it also peels through a navigable waterway, and has therefore been declared illegal to surf since the 1970s. For the undeterred, a successful session requires the ability to not only read wind, swell, and tide, but also the movements of the harbor patrol. Josh Mulcoy and Marco Foreman, waiting in the jacks for their moment. Photo: Ryan Craig

“I shot this photo with my 70-200mm from the water,” says photographer Matt Clark. “I went for a slower shutter speed to capture some movement and that magical New York light. It was taken just west of New York City at the same spot I was actually surfing 13 years ago to the day on September 11th. I was 17 years old then and had just started college.”

If not the best hurricane pulse seen in California in recent decades, Marie was certainly the most thoroughly documented. Come the peak of the swell, the Malibu lineup had cameras trained on it from almost every angle and the pier got more run through than a PCH stop sign. Photo: Shawn Parkin

El Salvador has the greatest density of population—and right points—of any country in Central America. What its shores lack in terms of an inviting tropical water palette, they make up for in reliably molding south swell into alluring shape. Full attendance from local and expat surfers is to be expected in the summer months. "This was shot early in the morning before the crowds started filling in," said photographer Ryan Craig.